iIATI TT.
A@$$BUTTETTTI
Wedne sday, l{ovember 6,201g
Anti-graft
court clears
ex-s0lon
By CZARINA Nlc0l.t 0il8 l(l
Former Rom-
blon Rep. Perpetuo
Ylagan and two
others have been
acquitted of falsi-
fication charges by
the Sandiganbayan
Fourth Division in a
case stemming from
th€ delivery of liquid
feftilizer in 2oo4.
The court ruled
that the prosecution
failed to prove guilt
beyond reasonable
doubt.
Ylagan was ini-
tially charged with
falsifying public
documents, togeth-
er with Provincial
Agriculturist ceish-
ler Fadri.
The prosecution
alleged that the un-
dated Certificate of
Acceptance, a public
document issued in
connection with the
implementation by
the National Orga-
nization for Agricul-
tural Enhancement
and Productivity,
Inc. (NOAEPI) of
the Department of
Agriculture's (DA)
Farm Inputs and
* PAqa 'r
Farm Implements
Program (FIFP) in
the lone district of
Romblon, had been
falsified to make
it appear that the
office of the provin-
cial Agdculturist re-
ceived 2,ooo bottles
of liquid fertilizer
from NOAEPI on
June 23, 2004, even
thqugh no such de-
Iivery was made.
Fadri faced an
additional falsifi-
cation charge to-
gether with Senior
Agriculturist and
Inspection Officer
Oscar calos, due to
the falsification of
the Inspection and
Acceptance Report
dated June 23, 2oo4
- far the fertiuzer.
The court said
the third element of
thecrime-afalse
narration of facts
in the public docu-
ments they have
previously signed
- was not estab-
lished by the pros-
ecution.
The prosecution
raised the red flag
because the liquid
fertilizer was re-
portedly delivered
on tune 23, while
the me moran -
dum of agreernent
(MOA) between
Romblon and NO-
AEPI was signed on
JuneU-sixdays
earlier.
u